Hulkenberg wants another step forward

Having challenged for fifth place in the 2014 Championship, Nico Hulkenberg hopes Force India will take another stride forward this season.

The German and his team-mate Sergio Perez had a solid start to last year’s campaign as they took the fight to powerhouses Ferrari and McLaren.

However, as the season progressed, Force India lost ground and eventually finished sixth.

The results, though, were nonetheless encouraging and Hulkenberg is hoping the team will build on that in 2015.

“I hope we can improve, get a little better again and make another step in the right direction,” he told Autosport.

“We slipped behind a little bit in the second half of the season, so we need to have a very good and efficient winter to start with a good car again.

“Then the aim and the target is for us to be as good and consistent as we were at the beginning of the 2014 season.”

The 27-year-old hailed the advancements Force India, who he first joined as a test driver back in 2011, have made over the years.

“There is progression, but people can’t look behind the scenes at Force India so maybe it’s hard to see if you just look at the results.

“Me having been here for the first time in 2011, and having left and come back, I can see big changes.

“The team has a bigger infrastructure, more people and has a stronger team at the factory.”